THE GUA SHA RITUAL

You see them popping up here and there, beautiful crystals in the shapes of tools, but what are they for and how do you use them? As Dagný & Eva are long time fans of the method, we are here to help! Facial Gua Sha is being labelled the ‘natural face lift’. So what’s all the fuss about and how is it done?

Gua Sha is an ancient, natural Chinese medicine therapy that was used in ancient times to treat diseases. Traditional Gua Sha is often performed in areas of the body such as the back, neck, hands and feet. Horns or bones were commonly used as tools to massage the skin, but nowadays, stones, crystals or spoons are used. The therapy releases congested energy and heat in the body, thereby increasing blood flow and stimulating the lymphatic system. Over time, a softer version of Gua Sha developed which is intended for the face. We love this facial ritual and have been testing different methods and tools on ourselves while spreading the Gua Sha message!

In a facial Gua Sha ritual, the crystal JADE is commonly used, as it is a cooling and purifying crystal that has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. The crystal is available in a variety of shapes and sizes for different techniques. In the Rvk Ritual webshop you can find our favourite Gua Sha tool that we think is the most effective, as it has different corners for different parts of the face, chest and scalp.

Gua Sha has all kinds of benefits, it increases blood flow and with that detoxifies the skin and releases waste. The massage is also muscle relaxant and therefore suitable for those who have difficulty sleeping or suffering from headaches. Along with that, us and most people we know who regularly practice Gua Sha talk about improved skin, both softer and firmer, followed by a healthier and more youthful look.

But how is it done? It is simple, but it´s very important that it is done right. The principle behind the Gua Sha technique is a repeated scrape, on a lubricated skin area with a Gua Sha tool. You scrape in a certain direction, from acupuncture points and lymphatic pathways. When an area is treated by repeated rubbing it creates a vacuum which causes toxic fluid to be drawn to the skin from the underlying tissue of the body. The movement with the tool should be gently up and out, starting with the chest, neck, jawline, chin, and around the mouth then draw the stone across cheeks and under the eyes, across your eyebrows and from your forehead up to your hairline.

So lets begin!

1. Take a few deep relaxing breaths, Gua Sha is best done as a slow and mindful ritual. Make yourself a cup of herbal tea as well.
2. Clean the face well
3. Apply oil/balm to the face, neck and chest and rub it into the skin with rounded strokes. We recommend our new Rvk Ritual Blue Moon balm as it has Blue Tansy that has calming an anti inflammatory effect and fits all skintypes! (in the shop on friday!)
4. Follow the video and chart and do each movement 5-12 times always ending the movement with pressure as Eva shows in our Insta TV video, CLICK HERE TO WATCH
5. Using the rvk ritual jade crystal, start with your chest, using the comb part of the stone massaging from the middle of the chest out both sides.
6. NECK: Use the comb part as well for the neck, stroking down in the front and up, in the back part of the neck.
7. Next, start on one half of the face, finishing one side before doing the other one.
8. CHIN: Use the curved bottom part of the stone for the chin, fitting the chin between the ridges and stroking up from the middle.
9. CHEEKS: Use the long smooth part of the stone for the cheeks, stroking gentle up and out and putting pressure near the ears.
10. FOREHEAD: 1. Use the comb part again for the forehead, combing in an upward movement in the center of the forehead. 2. For the 3d eye area, use the curved bottom part of the tool, putting the stone around the top part of the nose and pressing up (better explaned in the video). 3. Next, use the same part of the stone, fit the eyebrow in the middle of the curves and stroke out from the middle towards the temple.
11. DRAINING: To finish the first side, use the smooth part of the stone and do a long strokes from the forehead and cheeks down to drain the lymph, always using light or medium pressure, extra light around the eye area!
12. Now do the same on the other side!

Gua sha is a great addition to your morning or evening routine. The massage takes only a few minutes and is a great way to really pamper the skin.

Warning: Gua Sha is not ideal of you have the following: sunburned skin or done straight on wounds like acne.

XO

Dagný